Unconventional building, standard budget

23.10.15

A unique design does not necessarily mean high building costs. A residential complex erected without exceeding a standard budget can be a source of happiness to its tenants and have its own unique look. The system: a correctly-planned building scheme and a reduced, carefully selected assortment of cladding materials. The price is considerably lower; the result most certainly surprising.

Proposals that give special attention to the design of a building’s envelope are often considered wasteful. This is especially true of residential buildings, usually perceived as the almost exclusive servants of their tenants, rather than serving the public as part of the overall urban fabric. Thus, additions to the built area or the use of costly finishing materials are, to many, actions that justify the extra cost, while a meticulous design of the building’s facades and special care to its outer appearance may be seen as an unnecessary extravagance.

This approach is based on the assumption that curvilinear or angular forms and planes would always require the use of specialized, expensive building technologies. In practice, however, a unique design does not necessarily mean high building costs. A residential complex erected without exceeding a standard budget can, if properly planned, be a source of happiness to its tenants and have its own unique look. Here are several examples:

Residential tower in 33 Kinneret St., Ashdod

The facades of the residential tower “Kinneret 33” were designed for the so-called ‘Baranowitz System’ – the most commonly accepted local construction method of high-rise residential projects (the system features semi-industrial, on-site concrete forms with integrated cladding), using fully standard finishes.

Each façade is designed as a unique element in a larger configuration and not as a single module to be copied floor after floor. The visual abundance of the facades is achieved using only two types of concrete form and two kinds of stone.

The spacious, comfortable apartments are based on a single prototype, with the apartments’ plan based on a small number of elements and shapes differing in size and layout in relation to each part of the building. This clever application of a minimal number of elements brings about an exclusive, high-end result.

2 Residential buildings on 77-79 Ha-Tsiyonut St., Ashdod

The Shomraz City residential project is distinguishable by its curved forms, yet the façade is repetitive, the added investment in special building cast forms negligible. The structures are relatively broad, and may have appeared bulky, clumsy, or even threatening but for the careful treatment of the facades. Spacing out the facades vertically has resulted in considerably lighter, airier structures, adding to their transparency, openness and visual abundance – using only one stone for cladding. The building is cherished by its tenants and stands out in its surroundings.

Correctly planning the blueprint to avoid wasted floor spaces, a carefully-selected minimum of finishing materials for cladding, a preconceived notion of the desired building technology and adapting the plans accordingly – promotes the construction process and ensures a real and considerable cost reduction. Bearing this in mind, the extra costs invested in the facades are of minor importance, if any, and the results definitely speak for themselves.